1. Field of the Invention
This invention relates to an extremely flexible integrated system for managing the placing and filling of orders in restaurants. Customers are able to place their orders via touch screen microprocessor terminals that are connected to restaurant employee terminals that display customer orders.
2. Description of the Related Art
Identifying, training and retaining courteous and capable personnel has become one of the most critical concerns in the management of restaurants. This is particularly true in those establishments that have come to be known as "fast food" restaurants. Such establishments emphasize the delivery of food in a timely and relatively inexpensive manner, while delivering consistently high quality products. Effective and capable employees are a prerequisite for obtaining each of these goals.
Unfortunately, the labor pool for such establishments is shrinking at the same time that a demand for such employees is increasing. Means for effectively reducing the number of employees in any single store can provide a significant cost advantage for the operation of a fast food restaurant.
There are relatively few references to integrated microprocessor-based systems for maximizing efficiencies and effectively reducing the number of employees required to staff a fast food establishment.
U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,722,053 of Dubno et al., 4,533,222 of Kurland, and 4,457,851 of Kurland et al. describe customer interactive systems for use in restaurants. An essential feature of each of these systems is the combined capabilities for customers to utilize microprocessor monitors located at individual tables for entertainment--such as playing video games--and ordering food. These systems are not designed primarily for efficiency, but as a unique restaurant concept or theme.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,675,515 of Lucero describes a drive-through credit card payment device for use by fast food restaurants. The system allows the customer to place his own order if desired at the remote drive through station. Efficiency improvements derived from this system are focused predominantly on the cash management aspects of the device. Also see U.S. Pat. No. 4,638,312 of Quinn, et al.
The system disclosed in U.S. Pat. No. 4,797,818 of Cotter includes a regional food order and delivery system. The system is comprised of a centralized order receiving center that inputs orders into a microprocessor and selects the appropriate outlet for delivery of the ordered food.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,567,359 of Lockwood describes a customer self-order system designed for the sale of insurance. A microprocessor system interacts with the customer, supplying various options based upon responses made by the customer to introductory questions.
Finally, U.S. Pat. No. 4,775,953 of Yourick describes an interactive video marketing system that is not related to the restaurant industry. This system "selects" what presentations should be made to the consumer based upon both historical experience (e.g. likelihood of type of user based on time of day or weather) and real time responses from the customer.
Computerized order systems in fast food restaurants are not uncommon. Generally, these systems require that the customers verbally convey their order to the cashier/counter person, who enters the order into a combined cash register/order input system that will calculate the total price and deliver the order to the food preparers. See, for example, U.S. Pat. Nos. 4,569,421 and 4,415,065 of Sandstedt, U.S. Pat. No. 4,388,689 of Hayman et al., and U.S. Pat. No. 4,530,067 of Dorr.
The computerized restaurant systems currently available are also limited in other manners. Typically, such systems can only be expanded to include approximately 10-20 input sources. With the development of new fast food marketing schemes, e.g., the food court concept whereby several fast food restaurants use a common dining area, this limitation of the previous systems could be critical.
There is a need for an integrated customer self-order system that will effectively accomplish the needs of the customer and the restaurant, particularly one which reduces the number of cashiers required to process a given number of customers.